A D.C. United fan looked up and saw smoke pouring from the top of the Crew Stadium scoreboard
last night.

“I thought they’d elected a new pope again,” said
James Goodwin, a Philadelphia native who traveled to Columbus with a fan group of
about 50.

A malfunctioning speaker system was believed to have sparked the 7:05 p.m. fire, which was
extinguished by Columbus firefighters by about 7:30 p.m.The game had been scheduled for a 7:37 p.m.
start but didn’t get under way until about 8:30.Fans seated below and around the scoreboard — the
visitors’ section, which sits at the south end of the stadium — were evacuated.

Witnesses said that the flames and smoke slowed traffic on I-71.Columbus Battalion Chief
John Vingle said firefighters had about 5 feet to spare to pour water down on top
of the scoreboard fire with the 105-foot aerial ladder fully extended.

No one was injured.

“We had a fire in the speaker cabinet of the scoreboard,” said Crew president and general
manager
Mark McCullers in a statement. “We are working on some auxiliary sound at the
moment.”

United fans moved to the southeast corner of the stadium. A firefighter retrieved their team
banners and helped hang them in the new location.

“No big deal. This is fine,” Goodwin said from his new perch. “Even when your scoreboard catches
fire, you still have a better stadium than ours.”